LOS ANGELES, Oct 16 — Kate Winslet has revealed that she deliberately did not thank Harvey Weinstein when she gave her Oscar speech after winning for best actress in 2009.
Winslet won the award for her performance in The Reader which Weinstein’s production company had distributed. Weinstein had also aggressively campaigned to ensure her win.
Winslet recently told the Los Angeles Times that her decision not to thank Weinstein was “absolutely deliberate” and something she does not regret.
“I remember being told. ‘Make sure you thank Harvey if you win’.
“And I remember turning around and saying, ‘No I won’t. No I won’t.’ And it was nothing to do with not being grateful. If people aren’t well-behaved, why would I thank him?”
“For my whole career, Harvey Weinstein, whenever I’ve bumped into him, he’d grab my arm and say, ‘Don’t forget who gave you your first movie.’ Like I owe him everything.
“Then later, with The Reader, same thing, ‘I’m gonna get you that Oscar nomination, I’m gonna get you a win, I’m gonna win for you.’
“But that’s how he operated. He was bullying and nasty. Going on a business level, he was always very, very hard to deal with — he was rude.”
